Runes and Seals
by Stunning Sunset
Summary: She was not fully sure she wanted to be there in the first place. Still, she would adapt and pretend she was a normal civilian to keep on the down low. Not that that would work among masters of deceit. She would eventually earn their respect even if she couldn't use their fancy jutsu or wasn't from a powerful clan. But even she couldn't guess how much of a difference she would make
1. A Little Push Goes a Long Way

I should really be working on Third Time's the Charm, but this just wouldn't leave my mind, so…

Well, I hope this is enjoyable. It's certainly a bit different than what I'm used to seeing in regards to a Harry Potter/Naruto crossover. Hopefully it's enjoyable. Give it a chance?

Of course, anything you might recognize is not mine.

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After the Final Battle, life in England returned to normal. Hermione went back to Hogwarts to complete her studies, after which she spent three years getting her Runes Mastery. It was part interest and part survival instincts that remained from her year on the run. She never wanted to be put into a defenseless position if she ever lost her wand. Such a prospect terrified her. With runes, one could accomplish most anything. Runes were complex, true, but to her methodical mind, they had a kind of transcendent beauty that intrigued her and made her devour tomes upon tomes on the subject.

Nowadays, she could conjure them up without much thought, so used to them was she. She still used her wand, but using runes brought her a sense of peace that spells could not. They felt, for lack of a better word, more concrete. Was that because of her Muggle upbringing? Maybe.

Ron and Harry teased her about it every time they saw her, but it was all in good fun. When she traveled to China to learn from their top Runes Master, she learned kanji to read the texts her master assigned her, which then brought her to learn Japanese to read the texts of Kanagawa-sensei, one of the oldest masters left in Japan.

And so, when she returned to England after three years, Harry and Ron joked that she had become Asian-ised. She shook her head ruefully, but it was true that she had found a certain measure of peace in Asia. The people there knew much about meditation and she felt like she had finally found her center. Her life there was much more peaceful than previously, and she found that she liked the calm, even if she sometimes wished for an adventure or two. After a few months in England, she returned to Asia, this time spending much of her time in Japan.

The customs there were both similar and vastly different from those in China. She was fascinated. Despite visiting several other countries to expand her knowledge, she truly found herself most at ease in Japan. It did help that the people there didn't pry into her personal life. In England, she always felt on display, especially if she was with Harry and Ron. She didn't know how they could manage to live there.

It was why, on the eve of her twenty-eighth birthday, she found herself on the grounds of Hogwarts, waiting for her best friends to arrive. The place was as far from prying eyes as they could manage outside of their own homes, and this was a reunion solely for the three of them, no girlfriends included. Of course, they would join them later, but they had a few hours to reminisce as the Golden Trio.

There were students around, but she stayed close enough to the Forbidden Forest that she wasn't seen from afar.

A rustle in the bushes caught her attention. She whipped out her wand, senses on alert. Could it be a student? Or was it one of the creatures living in the forest?

It turned out to be a centaur, much to her surprise. She wondered why one would wander so close to the forest line.

"Can I help you?" she asked cautiously. One never knew, with centaurs.

"The stars were most insistent," began the dark-maned centaur. "You are needed elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" she repeated, frowning.

"In a certain land in which magic does not exist, a war rages that will kill more people than necessary if you do not help. It is the only place where you shall feel at home. You life until now has only been a prelude to get you ready to survive in those warring states."

She shook her head. "I've never held much stock in divination, and I believe that one's fate is not set in stone."

"If you stay here, you will be content for a while. If you go, you will be happy for life."

Once more, she shook her head.

"I told you..."

Her favorite guys ran up to her at that moment.

"Mione! Sorry we took so long!"

"Things took longer than expected...Wait, who are you?"

With Harry and Ron on either side of her, Hemione felt much safer.

"This person wants me to go far away, to some place where war rages. Apparently, my presence there could help save many people," she explained with a frown.

"Mione, I know you don't believe much in Divination, but remember, Trelawney already made two prophecies about me that turned out to be true. Besides, I know you. You won't stop thinking of the people you could help and eventually go there anyway to see if you can really help. Why not go sooner rather than later?"

She looked at her black-haired friend with reproach.

"One would think you are eager to get rid of me," she said, lips tugging downwards.

"You know that's not it," said Ron, cajoling, with a big hug. "We care for you very much!"

"I know, I know. But Harry..." She turned to her friend. "Why are you so intent on me going?"

She stole a glance at the centaur who was observing her with troubling dark eyes. She averted her own.

"Mione...Since the war, you've been adrift. You were clearly looking for your place in life. We've found it, Ron and I, but you...I don't want to see you lose sight of yourself. Go. We'll be with you. The Golden Trio, right?" he asked, looking at Ron who nodded fervently.

"No!" she exclaimed, before continuing more calmly, "No. You two have lives here. I won't uproot you. Ron, Luna's pregnant. So is Ginny, Harry. You can't think of bringing them to such a place. Especially you, Ron. With a baby and another on the way? Impossible."

Harry frowned. He wanted to object. To let her go alone? Certainly not.

He turned to the centaur.

"Will she be in danger there? I mean, if we aren't going along."

The centaur looked at him with unreadable eyes.

"Yes. But if she goes, she will find a greater protector than either of you could procure for her."

"Alright. What can we do to help?"

"_Harry!_" hissed Hermione, slapping him on the arm. She hadn't decided to go yet, no matter that her traitorous mind was already making plans. And she didn't like that her friends were going along with that centaur and making plans for her future before she had even decided about it herself.

"What? If I'm not there, I want you to be as safe as you can be."

"She needs what you call the Deathly Hallows. All three of them. Not only because they can't stay here, but also because they will be her best protection where she will be going. And she will need them if she is to meet her protector."

"Harry..."

The black-haired male smiled a bit sadly.

"If it can help you...Hey, Mione, take care of my father's heirloom?"

She nodded, teary-eyed. This suddenly seemed much too real.

"Sure, Harry." 

Her voice was choked and unsure, damn it.

"Guess we'll have to have a duel if you want the Elder Wand to work for you properly. And find the Ring...It's still somewhere in the forest."

It took some time, especially to find where she was supposed to go, but with her research, it took them less than a year to have everything ready. Her friends gave her a two-way mirror so she could stay in contact with them, then they all traveled to Japan where she stepped into a runic circle drawn on the floor of a deserted temple, Elder wand in hand as she drew the last few runes. She absentmindedly caressed the Ring on her finger and put the invisibility cloak around her.

"I love you guys."

"Love you too, Mione. Be safe out there."

"I will. I'll give you news as soon as I'm in the Hidden Countries. Wish me luck!"

She nodded, they powered up the runic circles, and then the males were alone in the small temple while she traveled to a world that was just as secluded from the magical world as the latter was separated from the Muggle one. Their every prayer went with her.

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Of course, this is just setting the cards. The next chapter will be much more interesting. Still, what do you think? Worth continuing?


	2. Guren Mio

To be honest, I was really surprised at the number of reviews I got for the first chapter. I wasn't expecting quite so much approval. I'll try to keep things interesting, and i promise there will be some twists you won't see coming. I'll eventually delve deeper into Hermione's past and what compelled her to go the Hidden Countries, but for now, let's see her settle down first, eh?

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised if you keep an open mind and let me take you on a ride. I do hope to entertain you.

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Hermione was a bit disappointed when she appeared in the Hidden Countries. She had expected something...grand, maybe. Certainly something other than a forest. After being pushed so much, she had half expected to arrive in the middle of a battlefield. This was a bit anti-climatic.

She cocked her head to the side, resisting the urge to get the invisibility cloak off. Without more information, she would not assume anything. After a quick chat with her two best friends to assure them she had gotten there safe and sound, she set off on what she hoped wouldn't be a disastrous adventure, blood pounding in her ears. Without Harry and Ron by her side, she felt somewhat naked and fragile, but it was not to say she was defenseless, either, and she wouldn't allow herself to be.

She would be strong. She would thrive in this land. She would be happy.

She thus strived to get out of the woods, no pun intended. Picking a direction at random, she started walking, stopping only for the night, when she erected a safety perimeter. On her second day, she walked all day, stopping occasionally to get some rest. She did not encounter anyone.

The third day proved to be different.

She had thought at first she would once again spend another day in silence, but it was not to be. She stumbled upon a small village and spied on it for a while, recognizing the language as Japanese, much to her relief. She had expected as much, but was glad that she hadn't made a mistake and landed herself in a place where she didn't understand the natives. As it was, there were a few colloquialisms she didn't get, but it was not enough to keep her from understanding the gist of the conversations.

From what she heard, a new village had recently been created, a village of ninja. Hermione had started at that, surprised, and listened more intently. Some villagers, clearly normal farmers by the look of it, were pondering over whether or not they would join it. Some of them were thinking about it seriously, but eventually decided that they would wait a bit longer to see what kind of village it became.

Hermione, for one, was more curious. Besides, the thought of a ninja village wouldn't leave her. Especially one so newly-created. What if this was the reason she had been contacted?

Somehow, going there felt right. There was something inside her that urged her to go there, but she was not so gullible as to go there in blind faith and hope all would be well. The pull her magic gave her was one thing, and she was inclined to follow it, as she had in the past, but not at all costs. If she felt something was wrong, she would hightail it out of there before one could even say "Quidditch."

Nodding to herself with her determination strong in her mind, Hermione set off in direction of that so-called Konoha.

It took her less time than she had anticipated to get there, and she certainly was eager when she saw the gates in the distance. Still, she stopped for a moment and observed the people going in and out. What kind of face were they making? What did their body language say?

During her stakeout, she saw several people going there or leaving the village. Some were definitely stressed, but many of them seemed happy or relieved. None of them looked overly anxious, terrified or too frightened of the place or the guards at the gates. That was a good sign.

There were several who looked like they were planning on moving to the village, normal people with carts full of belongings.

The guards at the gates asked them several questions before letting them pass. She presumed that someone inside would lead them to the leader of the village, the mayor or something.

With a fortifying breath, she hid in the forest, comparing her clothes to that of the people she had seen. Transfigurating her clothes into a long brown skirt, a long-sleeved green shirt and a cream-coloured camisole on top of it, she took off the invisibility cloak and put it in her backpack, shrunk to seem no more than a handkerchief.

She kept a pouch at her waist, a seemingly innocuous pouch that was in fact her bottomless beaded bag, reinforced by hidden runes that protected it in case it was stolen. Simply put, anyone other than her reaching into it would simply find a handful of coins. Her backpack, too, hid its interesting contents from prying eyes, leaving only food and a change of clothes to be found by other people.

She took a few deep breaths, she stepped onto the road. This was it.

Among refugees and simple people who were leaving their homes behind, she hoped she would not seem too out of place.

She thus walked up to the guards, explaining to them that she wanted to live in the village. They observed her lack of bulky luggage with suspicious eyes, to which she replied that she was a simple scholar. She had heard of rumours about this village and decided to see it for herself.

The guards looked at each other, then let her pass grudgingly. On the other side of the gates, a man at a booth waved her over.

"Are you looking to settle in Konoha?" he asked her.

"Yes. I'm a wanderer, but I'd like to settle down here for a while, if at all possible."

The black-haired man nodded, writing something down on a piece of paper before him.

"Someone will escort you to the Administrative Office. Answer their questions truthfully and you may be granted temporary citizenship, to be reevaluated later. "

She nodded in understanding. Perhaps things would be easier than she had thought, even if they intended to keep an eye on her. 

-:- 

Senju Hashirama pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. He may be the Hokage, but he always listened to his brother and Madara before deciding on important matters. However, there were times when the both of them didn't agree on a specific matter and he had trouble deciding which one of them to follow.

He desperately needed a third opinion, one that was unbiased, but had no idea where he might find a person with a clean mind.

Closing his eyes, he motioned for his aide to come closer.

"Shou-kun, I'm at a bit of an impasse. I have to make a decision, but I'm unsure how to go about things. I need a third opinion. Do you have a person you could recommend? I can't think of anyone in our clan, but maybe someone from one of the newer clans? What do you think?"

The younger male thought for a moment.

"Hm...Well...I don't know if this could be alright for your purposes, but there is apparently a scholar who moved in a few months ago into the southern district. It's a young civilian woman, but it's said she's wise beyond her years. Apparently, her knowledge is nothing to scoff at."

Hashirama nodded thoughtfully.

"A civilian...Well, why not? Get me her address. I don't intend to intimidate her by summoning her here."

"Very well, Hokage-sama." 

-:- 

Hashirama observed the house in front of him. It was not overly large, but it was clearly the house of someone who had enough money to do whatever she wanted with it. Maybe that woman came from a well-off family? If that was so, she apparently didn't flaunt it, for he had learned from Shou that she mainly kept to herself, occasionally helping fellow villagers with their problems, and generally stayed quiet. Most of all, she sometimes sold tea to civilians, going once a week to the small market—apparently, she made really good tea, mixing spices into the brews that would do wonders for this or that ailment—which was something a true aristocrat would never do. If she was well-off, it was certainly more from coming from a merchant family that had enough means to educate her, for a noblewoman would never degraded herself by being a merchant, if only occasionally.

The house she had acquired was simple enough, two stories high, and hidden behind a tall wall. Not small for a woman living by herself, but certainly not extravagant either. The gate was open, so he took it as an invitation and walked in, knocked at the door, and waited for someone to answer.

"Yes, can I help you?"

The woman who answered didn't look like he expected. She was short but not as petite as the women he was used to, had bright and warm honey eyes behind which hid a spark of frightening intelligence, and her hair was wild and untamed around her pretty but not beautiful face.

Still, there was something striking about her when she smiled gently at him.

"Ah, you are the Hokage, aren't you? Please come in."

She seemed surprised and respectful, but not afraid or in awe of his abilities, as were all civilians. Even ninja feared and respected him. But this woman...

She turned her back on him, another thing than no sane person would do, and led him to the back of the house, where a large garden was seated in the U the building formed around it. She left him at a small table with a promise to come back in a moment.

He observed the surroundings calmly, noting the well-kept herb garden in which grew several plants he didn't know. Maybe that was where the secret of her tea mixes resided. He was intrigued and of half a mind to inspect it when the woman came back with a tray on which she had placed a pot of tea, two cups, and a small assortment of sweets.

He observed her carefully as she poured tea for the both of them, not trusting her completely. She hadn't been in the village for long; he'd checked. What if she tried to poison him? Those herbs of hers he didn't know anything about. They could be poisonous and he would never know. Doubtful (he didn't think she would grow these out in the open), but still. He was in a position of power, and such a position meant he had to be doubly careful.

The tea was quite darker than he expected it to be. She poured milk and sugar into it, to his surprise, then mixed it with a silver spoon, looking impish as she did so, as though she knew he thought she would try to poison him. Twirling the spoon in her fingers, she carefully deposited it on his saucer, and he could see that it hadn't blackened. The tea was safe.

He admired the way she had assuaged his worries without directly addressing them, diplomatically giving him a way out to keep him from insulting his hostess by doubting her openly.

Taking a sweet, she nibbled on it, took a sip of her tea, and looked at him with perceptive eyes.

"I assume you have worries of some kind, Hokage-sama? How may I help you?"

"Guren-san...You were recommended to me as a person of intellect."

She smiled over the rim of her cup.

"Hokage-sama, intellect and knowledge go hand-in-hand. Using one without the other is a great disservice. I may be intelligent, but I need facts to make a proper judgment. What exactly is on your mind?"

"This is strictly confidential. I need to tell you that if you divulge anything of this conversation, you will be treated as a traitor to this village, as village politics cannot be revealed at large."

The woman nodded, her whole countenance becoming serious. There was power in her words when she swore secrecy.

"This village is still quite newly-established. I am to choose between demonstrating our strength to dissuade enemies to attack us, or consolidating our bases and getting more settlers. At the moment, I have no choice but to take one option or the other. There is merit in either one, but I don't know which one to choose. Do you have any insight you could impart me?"

She closed her eyes, seemingly savouring her tea as she thought over her answer. This was important; she wouldn't answer thoughtlessly.

Finally, she set down her cup and observed the Hokage with profound honey eyes.

"May I first ask you a question, Hokage-sama?" she uttered slowly.

"You may speak," he granted her, nodding.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. If I may ask, what kind of Hokage do you seek to be?"

Curious, Hashirama replied, "I want to be a fair leader, compassionate about his people and strong against enemies."

She smiled at him. "Then I say to this man, 'Achieve both ends at once. Send a team of your strongest men on an arduous mission. Choose one that will make apparent the strength of your people. Then your enemies will think twice before attacking you and settlers will come to you for protection and prosperity. Do not neglect civilians, for they are the foundation of the village, despite the chasm between the ninja and the civilians.' Should that not solve the problem?"

Hashirama looked bemusedly at her, stunned speechless for a moment.

"And what kind of mission should I send that team on?" he prodded her further.

She chuckled, hiding her laughter in her cup, eyes dancing.

"My, Hokage-sama, I'm but a civilian. Shouldn't you know better than anyone what mission would be appropriate?"

He had a feeling this woman would become one of his closest aides and friends. A woman who knew to let him make his own decisions, only providing the necessary tips...Someone who would speak her mind but still be respectful. Someone to respect.

That day, when he returned to the Hokage Tower, he turned to Shou pensively.

_Guren Mio... An interesting woman with a pretty name…_

"I may have found what was lacking..."

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More to come soon!

A quick explanation for Hermione's name: I wouldn't change it completely, but as her name would be difficult for a Japanese person to pronounce, I twisted it, kept the parts that would be easy to pronounce (japanned, of course) and cut off some parts. I was left with Guren Mio. Do you think it is appropriate?

Guren: lotus

Mio: channel


	3. Meeting the Nara

Well, it's been, what, two months? Time sure flies by! So, Hermione's getting settled, trying to make a living, and she's even encountering her first ninja! Read on…

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Hermione easily settled into her new life, and soon the sight of ninja running over rooftops at all hours of the day didn't faze her anymore. Of course, Harry and Ron had been very excited and slightly jealous that she lived in such an "awesome town," whatever that meant. They were almost too enthusiastic, wished to visit, but it wasn't quite that simple, so conversations via their two-way mirror would have to do for now.

In her spare time, she was working on enchantments she intended to add to a large chest of hers so that she could send them to an identical chest that she would first send them, shrunk in hers, by simply closing the lid on the box. If it worked, they could send one another items back and forth.

She had gotten the idea from both the Vanishing Cabinets and the two-way mirrors and it proved to be a fascinating projects that her friends, for once, were encouraging her to actively pursue. She was already losing sleep over it, so enthused was she to continue to work on it long into the night.

Still, she had to earn a living in this place, which was why she found herself at the market at least once a week.

-:-

There was a stall already manned next to hers when she arrived with her wares, which surprised her due to the early hour of the day, but it appeared the other woman was not really happy to be there that soon, if her closed off face was any indication.

Hermione set up her own stall with a nod to the other woman, which was half-heartedly returned. Soon, she had various glass jars lined up on her table, all of them filled to the brim with a mix of tea and herbs she had specially prepared. There were stickers on the jars to indicate what medicinal virtues her tea mixes held, and she was making sure they were clearly visible when her neighbor apparently decided to wake up.

Blinking, the woman turned to her as Hermione prepared herself a cup of hot tea. The day promised to be sunny and warm, but to face it she needed some fuel herself. Noticing the look of her neighbor, Hermione calmly poured another cup and, introducing herself, gently slid it on her table in direction of the sleepy woman who reached for it with sluggish movements.

A few sips later, she seemed a little more human and a little less like a limp noodle.

"The name's Mara. That's actually good," she murmured. "That after-taste isn't bad. What did you add to it?"

Seeing as she had added a few medicinal herbs that only existed in the magical world, the witch replied that they were herbs she was growing in her garden and that used to grow where she lived.

The other woman nodded. "I'm here to sell my family's medicinal herbs too," she said. "My brother is on a mission now, or he'd be the one manning the stall. What a drag."

Hermione smiled secretly.

"You sell medicinal herbs too? How interesting. Do you grow them yourself?"

Mara shrugged.

"With help, it'd be too bothersome otherwise. Our Nara clan has been tasked with growing them for the village by the Hokage."

"That's awesome," replied Hermione, genuinely impressed. It was a big responsibility. "And you've got enough left over to sell on the market? Could I buy some?"

The woman eyed her shrewdly.

"You don't intend to grow them too, do you? 'Cause if so, I can't stab myself in the back by selling them to someone who's going to be competition later on."

Hermione shook her head.

"I've got my hands full with my little garden already. I'd just like to test them, maybe add some to my tea mixes to improve them. Would you be interested in a partnership? If I obtain suitable results, I could buy from you the excess herbs you have, and you'd get a stable income. It would be a win-win situation for us both."

Hermione fought hard not to fidget under her neighbor's intense gaze. It had been a while since she'd been under such scrutiny, but she had survived years under Snape's tutelage. It either broke you or made you impervious to intimidation. Her gaze remained steady and clear.

At length, the other woman nodded.

"I'll talk about it with our clan Head. He'll be the one to make the decision. He should be back in three days from the mission he's been sent on. Come to our compound then and ask for me. We'll see then if we can do business. For now, what do you want to buy?"

-:-

"Hey, Mione, how's it going over there?" asked Harry that night through their mirror.

Sitting on her bed, surrounded by books, Hermione smiled to herself.

"Not bad, actually. I've managed to get acquainted with a few of my neighbours, and in a few days, I've got an appointment with the Head of one of the clans here to see if we can get into a partnership. I'm making mixes of tea with herbs from the magical world, and they grow medicinal herbs. They could supply me with really interesting plants I've never seen before. I've bought some of them to run some tests, and I'm so excited already!" she gushed, eyes shining.

Harry chuckled warmly.

"That's so you, Mione. Always so happy at the thought of more research."

Ron's face appeared on the mirror's surface.

"Hey, Mione, what's up? Researching already? I had a bet going on with Harry as to when you'd start," he teased her with a wide grin.

"Well, it's not merely for the sake of research," she replied primly. "I do have to make a living here, you know."

Harry's face reappeared, worried.

"Are you okay? We can try sending you more money to get you settled in, you know that's no problem."

She shook her head. "Thanks, Harry, but I'll be fine. You take care of Ginny. I'm not doing so bad with my market stall, and I'm thinking of expanding into medical potions. I'm sure there'd be a good market for that here, with so many ninja running around all the time."

"Money, money," joked Ron. "You'll be a hit, Mione, just you wait."

"We'll see. Anyway, have you seen that centaur since then? I've still got no idea what I'm supposed to do here and I don't even trust Divination all that much."

"Sorry, Mione," replied Harry contritely. "We'll try to find him. Maybe he could be more explicit."

"I'd like that very much," sighed Hermione. "I miss you guys."

"Miss you too, Mione. Take care, okay? Don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

"Sure, Harry. You take care too," she replied softly, warmed by his words.

"Good luck over there. Speak to you soon."

The surface of the mirror wavered and then she was looking at her own eyes. She hugged it to her chest as, outside, the moon grew higher in the sky.

-:-

Looking at herself in the mirror, Hermione sighed. She wanted to clean up nicely, but how much was too much for a first meeting with a possible future business partner? Should she go out of her way to pretty herself up?

_They're ninja, all of them, no matter how much business they may do on the side,_ she reminded herself. _They've probably seen one another in the worst conditions possible time and again._

If she made too much of an effort, she would probably seem obnoxious, and trying too hard never served her well. She wanted to make a good impression, not…not appear as an insufferable know-it-all. Respect was earned, not given. She would make them respect her for her mind, not her money or her appearance.

Resolute in her decision, she put her hair up, slipped into a short-sleeved dove gray dress, secured it in place with a blue sash around her waist, and put on a pair of sensible sandals. There. She couldn't pretend to be anything other than a civilian, but she thought they'd appreciate that she hadn't dressed extravagantly, instead choosing clothing that was practical and easy to move around in.

Knowing she'd just stall if she stayed there any longer, she left her home early, taking with her a shoulder bag she had filled with several samples of her tea mixes. With a small nod to herself, she put her chin up and headed to the Nara compound.

-:-

Nara Shikatama still wasn't sure as to whether or not he liked living in a village. He could certainly appreciate the protection the added numbers gave his clan, and Konoha was an alright village, as far as he was concerned, but following someone's orders wasn't really his thing. It had much to do with the fact that he'd rather spend his days gazing at the clouds than running around. When cloud-gazing, he could forget the numerous hypotheses that arose in his mind with ever action or word of everyone. He could simply watch and not wonder at the hidden meanings behind someone's actions or shift of the eyes. Clouds were…simple. Ever-changing. Unpredictable. The dragon he was looking at, for example, soon separated into two parts that became a duck followed by a smaller one. He could not have predicted it, and he liked that. It wasn't an enigma to solve, just a way to relax his mind and simply not think.

Of course, the world had this annoying tendency to disrupt his moments of peace and quiet.

He found himself looking up a skirt and was just noting that the female in question was wearing white underwear when the voice of one of his cousins sounded from further up, a hand smoothing down the skirt that had lifted with the most recent gust of wind.

"Stop looking up my skirt and get up," said the female, not looking particularly bothered by his bored stare.

"What a drag. Now?" he asked with half-lidded eyes.

"I did warn you that there was someone you had to meet this afternoon," she replied, sounding even more bored than he was, if at all possible.

Now that she mentioned it, he seemed to remember her saying something about a civilian she wanted him to meet.

He really didn't want to. The sun was warm, there was an abundance of clouds in the sky…

"Can't she come back tomorrow?" he asked—men do not whine, not adult men who are heads of their clan anyway.

"She's waiting in your living room right now."

Shikatama sighed despondently.

"How troublesome."

Still, he got to his feet and brushed his pants free of grass, thinking to himself that he really ought to find some quieter place to enjoy his cloud-watching.

Dragging his feet, he strolled back to his house and, not bothering to clean up more than strictly necessary, dropped into his seat across from the civilian woman, observing her with intense half-lidded eyes.

"I am Nara Shikatama, Head of the Nara Clan. My cousin informed me that you wanted to talk with me about a possible business venture together," he drawled, pinning her in place with his intense gaze, leaning his head on his hand.

"Yes," replied the civilian, "thank you for receiving me, Nara-sama. My name is Guren Mio. Like many others, I've recently moved to Konoha. I'm growing some plants from my homeland and adding them to tea to get medicinal beverages that people tend to drink more than regular medicine. It's easier to switch the kind of tea one brews each day rather than change one's habits, after all."

Shikatama nodded, knowing from experience that most people stay away from medicine because of its foul taste.

"And your tea tastes good?" he asked, seeking confirmation.

The woman nodded with a small smile. "People seem to think so. I have a small but regular clientele. I've brought several samples, if you want a taste. I've had the privilege to buy some of your clan's medicinal plants and I believe I could add some of them to my...remedies, if you will, for greater efficiency. Mara-san told me your clan often sells at the market what plants you have left over after your own use. If my experiments bear fruits, I could buy your plants in bulk and use them in my tea mixes that I would later sell at the market. It would be more lucrative for you than selling your plants one at a time at the market."

Shikatama took one of the proffered little jars and popped the top open, leaning carefully over it to inhale its aroma. It did smell good. The scent was not too floral and didn't offend his nose.

"That one helps with muscle pains. I've been told it relieves women's…ahem…menstrual cramps greatly, and I have a stronger mix for intense pain. It's not good to take too much of it because one could get addicted, but I know with certainty it alleviates much pain. Some ninja have tried it, and it's fast becoming a favourite."

The Nara fingered the jar pensively.

"If there was enough demand for it, would you consider also making medicine without tea mixed into it?" he asked, thinking of missions. If they could carry dried mixes or even vials with potions with them around, they could probably decrease the severity of the injuries of the ninja sent out on missions, giving more time for medics to heal them. And if medics were taken down, at least the medicine could allow their ninja to make it home in better shape.

"Certainly. I'd need to get a bigger field, probably, but it could be done. I'd like to check the effects of your medicinal plants when mixed with mine to get the dosages down pat, but I'm certain we could make this work."

_If it does_, thought the Nara,_ this could be both lucrative and very useful for civilians and ninja alike._

He asked her for a few days to consult with his fellow clan members before giving her his decision.

A week later, Hermione bought a field and hired a team of genin to plants the seeds she had harvested from her plants at home.

Two days later, she began her experiments with the plants from the Nara to make, at their request, medicine in pill form that would staunch blood flow and numb nerves enough for the pain to be tolerable enough to fight still. Despite being horrified at the images that brought to mind, Hermione complied without grouching, preferring to think that the pills would save lives if the ninja of her village could keep fighting instead of falling under their enemies' assault.

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Hashirama will appear in the next chapter, I promise!

As you can see, I invented a name for the Nara Clan leader, as I couldn't find him in my research. Sue me. I kept the Shika part of the name and simply added "tama" at the end, which means "silent." Hope it satisfies everyone!


	4. Summer Storm

It's been a long time, but I'm glad and honored that people are still interested. Things will move slowly, but I want to establish Hermione's new life properly before anything happens. It is shorter than I'd like, but I thought the scene's ending was natural and would rather leave a new one, with new meaning, for another chapter.

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Hermione was still trying to figure out what the hell she was doing in Konoha when she bumped into the Hokage purely by chance.

Or at least, she thought it was by chance; there was always some measure of doubt when it came to ninja.

She had been pretty busy recently, what with establishing her business with the Nara Clan. Testing took up much of her time, and there were no best friends to forcibly drag her away from her research, no matter how much they berated her like mother hens through the mirror when they caught sight of the bags under her eyes.

It was actually because of their whining that she got out of her house on a stifling hot day in search of something to cool her down, something like freezing cold ice cream.

Her urge for something cold was shared with her fellow villagers, it seemed. Everywhere she looked, people were walking around with ice cream cones or tall glasses of lemonade.

Spying a particularly interesting green ice cream eaten by a child, Hermione decided she wanted the same and quickly spied the bakery the child had just run off of. On a whim, she walked into it, quickly ordered a pistachio ice cream with a chocolate-dipped cone and quietly left the little store to savour her little piece of heaven in peace.

Her feet took her to a nearby park where she promptly lay down, cherishing her frozen treat more than was perhaps appropriate, but she was alone, there was nobody in sight to judge her and she wanted to relax in this hot weather.

She was licking off the remains of her ice cream off of her fingers when her little piece of heaven was disturbed.

She simply turned her head toward the intruder as he walked closer, the heat too stifling to even lift her head as she recognized her business partner.

"Are you looking for a place where you can be alone and there's shade too?" she asked lazily, sweat pearling on her brow from simply doing nothing but breathing.

Shikatama nodded slowly.

"Make yourself at home," she said, looking through the canopy at the gathering clouds.

"What were you doing here?" asked the Nara, lounging lazily next to her under the big tree.

"Looking at clouds...It was too hot and humid to work, and it's actually quite the relaxing hobby...I guess I should take a break more often, like I've always been told."

They lapsed into silence as the sky grew darker, clouds accumulating into a grey slate above their heads. For once, Hermione didn't want to move or do something productive.

There was nothing other than the sky in her world at that moment.

And then there was rain.

It was warm, and she still didn't want to move.

And then there was thunder.

She cursed internally.

"My apologies, Nara-sama, but I'll be heading home now."

He closed his eyes, disgruntled.

"This thunder is so troublesome," he muttered, getting to his feet. He looked at her. "Allow me."

He gathered her up in his arms and ran for the village, or rather, that was what he'd have done if the thunder didn't suddenly get much, much closer.

With lightning zapping around above them, it was more dangerous to leave rather than stay put, though they both knew better than to remain under a tree during a storm.

Both of them simply lay down on the grassy ground, smelling the field flowers all around them as warm rain poured down on them and the sky was painted with white flashes.

Hermione sighed dazedly.

"This is beautiful, wouldn't you say so, Nara-sama?"

There was a boom, then lightning fell nearby and they heard a high-pitched cry. A yelp, really. Before the Nara could go up to find out who had been caught in the storm, another bolt of lightning fell, closer this time, and a figure rounded the corner, so to speak, somersaulting away from yet another lightning bolt as it landed where he had been seconds before. They looked on as the man screeched and swiftly avoided the lightning as it seemed to chase him around.

"Is that…"

"Yeah," drawled the Nara. "That would be our honourable Hokage."

They both looked on as Hashirama swerved out of the way at the last moment yet again, which made Hermione huff, "Oh for…Hokage-sama! Flatten yourself to the ground!"

With nary a hesitation, the grown man did just that, laughing moments later when the lightning finally seemed to move on. He crawled up to them, ass in the air like a dog sniffing a scent, and finally flopped down next to them.

Hermione observed his singed and slightly smoking clothes dubiously.

"Hokage-sama…You really ought to be more careful," she said slowly, slightly reproachfully. Man, he was just as careless as Harry and Ron, and as carefree as the twins. How he had managed to become Hokage was beyond her. It was most surely miraculous.

"Whoo! This was fun!"

Hermione blatantly stared at the Hokage, being reminded vividly of her boys during their early Hogwarts years (before Voldemort took a place of utmost importance in their life and stole their smiles and laughter) at the boyish grin he wore, looking young and free as he gazed into the dark clouds above head.

"_That_ was dangerous. Hokage-sama, for all that you are a great ninja, you are still human and lightning is dangerous to any human," she preached, wondering if his brain hadn't fried while he escaped the bolts.

"You worry too much, it was great speed training!" exclaimed Hashirama with a large grin. "You know, my brother thought I couldn't do it, but I bet him I could and now, he owes me ice cream!"

His eyes were shining with such excitement Hermione felt a mixture of amused resignation and dread at the knowledge that all it took to get their village's leader to do something was to bribe him with the promise of free food. She hoped no one ever learned of this.

_Ron, you two would probably get along fabulously_.

"I wonder if it is the mark of all leaders to be reckless," she muttered mostly to herself. Harry had always needed her to plan things out, lest he just plunge straight into danger without a second thought. He had insane luck, of course, but recklessness was not a trait she had ever encouraged, for even if a hero would get out of danger with nothing but minor injuries, side characters such as her could end up killed. Those who were great often forgot that, or simply couldn't comprehend that not everyone was, like them, immune to meaningless death.

Hashirama rolled over with a gleeful laugh and tugged her against him to roll around in the wet grass.

Her cries of protest were drowned out by the storm as it slowly left Konoha. Her efforts to get away were half-assed at best; it had been a long time since she had done something childish.

When they stopped rolling around, she let out a breathless laugh as the Hokage smiled down at her.

"See? Don't you feel better?"

She hid an amused grin and purposely pretended, with a snobbish lift of her nose and the same tone to her voice the Malfoys had, "I will never publicly admit to doing this."

He let out a hearty laugh and helped her get up, now that the danger of the storm was over with.

"Say, I wasn't disturbing you or anything, was I?" he asked, seemingly as an afterthought with a glance over her shoulder.

She looked at him blankly.

"Disturbing?"

"Well..." he turned crimson, "you were not on a date, were you?"

Her eyes widened as she turned to Shikatama and back at Hashirama, gaping. The cogs in her mind ground to a halt after overworking themselves into fiery wheels.

"You mean, me and—Hokage-sama!"

The Nara hadn't moved while they rolled around and didn't bat an eyelash as they loomed over him a moment later.

"Nara-sama, are you alright?" asked Hermione, worried. Was he getting sick? Such limpness could not be natural, could it?

"Troublesome..."

With a sigh, the Nara got up and slouched boredly. "The storm is over now. I'll walk you home."

"Oh, don't feel like you have to," replied Hermione kindly, sensing how much he wanted to simply go home. "I can perfectly go home by myself, Nara-sama."

"You are a civilian; any ninja would be able to overpower you if they wanted to. Besides, you're a woman and it would be wrong to let you return home without an escort."

She didn't know if she should be insulted by his disregard or flattered by him looking out for her so she simply decided to sniff at him and head home with a careless, "Well, if you're going to do it anyway, I'll be going first, you can follow at your own pace."

"Rather spirited, isn't she?" whispered Hashirama to his fellow clan leader.

"I heard that!"

That was the beginning of the close relationship that would bloom between Hashirama and the Nara, a relationship that would be passed down to their successors. And it was the beginning of the end of the Nara's carefree days of cloud-watching.


End file.
